


Effortlessly in Love

by honeyhyuckles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Mark Lee (NCT), Alpha Park Jisung (NCT), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Awkward Park Jisung (NCT), Canon Compliant, M/M, Omega Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Omega Zhong Chen Le, Pack Hierarchy, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le Are Best Friends, Park Jisung (NCT) is Whipped, Zhong Chen Le Needs a Hug, both the ships are equally important, it was supposed to be chensung centric but half the fic is markhyuck sorryyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22790281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyhyuckles/pseuds/honeyhyuckles
Summary: Chenle wanted that. He wanted someone to love. He wanted someone who would take care of him, and whom he would take care of in turn. He wanted what Mark and Donghyuck had, a relationship which was sweet, natural and effortless.Or the one in which Chenle wants a boyfriend after he sees MarkHyuck interact, and Jisung wants to be that boyfriend. But of course it wasn't going to be that simple
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Zhong Chen Le, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Mark Lee & Park Jisung (NCT), Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 33
Kudos: 560





	Effortlessly in Love

**Author's Note:**

> YOOOO
> 
> Okay, so firstly I wanted to clear a few things:-  
> \- In this fic all the NCT members have seperate rooms for themselves.  
> \- The first half of this fic hardly has any ChenSung, but I promise, it does come in if you stick around long enough.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Mark Hyung!"

Chenle had just burst into the 127 dorm, slipping past Taeyong, who had opened the door, and running down the corridor of the dorm towards Mark's room. Ignoring Taeyong's calls, he put his hand on the doorknob and twisted it, eager to see Mark.

The door was locked.

Chenle blinked. Mark rarely kept his door locked. None of the NCT members locked their doors, they didn't really have a reason to. Chenle raised his hand, about to bang on the door, when he heard a whimper. From inside the room.

His eyes widened. "What-"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to face Taeyong. The elder gently pulled Chenle out of the corridor and towards the living room.

"Don"t disturb them," he said, a patient smile blooming on his face. "Did you want something from Mark?"

Chenle took a second to process his words. "Them?!" he screeched, "Who's in the room with Mark Hyung? Who was whimpering? WHY IS THE DOOR LOCKED?"

Taeyong winced, "Lower your volume, Lele."

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?" Chenle said, not bothering to lower his volume. Mark Hyung was in a locked room with an unnamed stranger, and one of them was whimpering. 

"It's Hyuck. He's going through his heat."

It took a second, but the pieces finally fell in place for Chenle. 

"Oh.... Wait why is he in Mark Hyung's room then?"

"About that.." Taeyong scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "They're together now."

Chenle's face broke into a smile, before he forced his lips into a pout. "Why didn't anybody tell me this earlier?"

Taeyong reached down to ruffle Chenle's hair. "They got together last night, and they didn't go around telling anybody yet. In fact," Taeyong paused dramatically, "You're the first person to know, apart from the rest of the 127 members, of course. I would have told you and the rest of the Dreamies, but yesterday night was a rather long night."

Chenle suddenly noticed the dark circles under Taeyong's eyes and he felt his stomach swell up with guilt. Taeyong and Mark had returned from the SuperM tour yesterday, and the both of them must have been seriously exhausted. To add on top of that, Donghyuck had probably gotten his heat last night. The feelings Mark and Donghyuck had for each other was no secret, and the two of them hadn't seen each other for weeks. Once Mark had sensed Donghyuck's heat, the possessive alpha inside him must have jumped out, and that meant trouble. Chenle shuddered at the thought, he had only seen Mark's Alpha status thrice, but he had long decided that three times was enough.

Mark was normally a laid back person, gentle and patient. He had a good temper and was easy to joke around with.

But Mark's Alpha? He was a completely different story. 

Fierce, intimidating, menacing, dominant. One of the most dominant Alphas in the group, second only to Johnny and Jaehyun.

Yes, yesterday night probably had been extremely tiring. And Chenle, who had been very eager to see Mark again after his absence, had stormed into the 127 dorm as soon as he had woken up. Taeyong must have left the comforting warmth of his bed to open the door for Chenle.

He immediately turned to look at the clock. 7:26 am.

Okay, now he felt horrible.

"Hyung, you should go get some sleep. I'm sorry for waking you up so early.

Taeyong smiled gently. "Don't worry about it."

It was only after Chenle had left the dorm when he realized. He was the only member of Dream who knew the news which meant he was free to tell the rest.

(When he broke the news to the other members, Jaemin spat out the water he had been drinking all over Jeno. Jisung had been too shocked to utter a word. Renjun didn't care.)

~***~

And that was when Chenle's dilemma had started. it wasn't Mark or Donghyuck's fault, but the thing is, it was completely their fault.

For most part their relationship hadn't changed, but maybe that was because they had acted like a married couple when had been just best friends, although they both completely denied that fact. But now, their relationship had graded up, and suddenly all of their interactions had become slightly more intimate. Sure, they still bickered over which film to watch or over who ate the last slice of pizza. They still laughed at each others terrible jokes and over the terribly cliché fanfics several of their fans wrote about them. But now everything they did together had an underlying fondness to it. And Chenle noticed that.

He saw in the way Mark looked at Hyuck whenever the latter was joking around. But when before Mark had always sighed and looked away, he now walked towards the younger and dragged him in for a kiss. When before Mark used to push Hyuck away, he now pulled him in for cuddles, placing a small kiss on the younger's head. When before their nicknames for each other had been limited to 'nerd' and 'dumbass', it now took a complete 180 degree turn to 'babe' and 'sunshine'.

And Chenle wanted that. He wanted someone to love. He wanted someone who would take care of him, and whom he would take care of in turn. He wanted what Mark and Donghyuck had, a relationship which was sweet, natural and effortless.

And his mind was consumed with these thoughts, so much in fact, that he once accidentally blurted it out.

It hadn't happened in a very ideal situation. It had happened during a very rare group dinner, a golden night in which the WayV members were back in South Korea, and neither Dream nor 127 had schedule.

Chenle wasn't sure what exactly led to it, but he blamed it, rather unsurprisingly, on Mark and Donghyuck again.

Donghyuck, who had been deep in conversation with Jaemin and Doyoung, hadn't noticed the streak of ketchup that lined his cheek. And Mark, being the gentleman he is, had to rub it off with a sickeningly sweet look in his eyes right under Chenle's nose.

And so the words slipped out.

"I wish I had a boyfriend." 

Chenle had not expected the sudden out roar that had taken place the moment the words had left his mouth. 

The world seemed to have stopped for a second, everyone turning to look at him. The silence that had draped the group was broken the moment Taeyong gasped.

And then in a matter of seconds everyone seemed to have found their voices.

Kun dropped his fork, his eyes widening as he turned to look at the younger. Jaemin accidentally knocked over his glass of orange juice, the drink staining the table cloth. Lucas had a choking fit over his apple juice and Hendery raised his arm to thump him on the back, although his eyes were still fixed on Chenle. Haechan gaped at him from across the table and Mark, Johnny and Ten yelled 'WHAT?!' simultaneously.

Chenle looked around at his members. "What?"

Kun picked his fork up. "You're still to young, Chenle." He answered gravely.

Chenle spluttered. "I'm eighteen!"

Kun smiled wisely. "Exactly."

Chenle sighed and rolled his eyes, before looking across the table and finding the eyes of his best friend. Jisung would understand, he knew that. Since the two of them were treated like the babies of the group, they often looked at each other for comfort when it got too dramatic. Like now.

But when he looked at Jisung, the latter was not wearing an understanding or embarrassed smile like Chenle had expected. Instead his eyes were filled with an unreadable emotion, and he immediately looked down when he realized Chenle was looking at him, reaching for his fork and almost knocking over his glass of water in haste.

Chenle frowned. Was something wrong? 

But before he could dwell on it, he felt Taeyong call his name.

He turned towards his Hyung who was looking at him with a slight smile on his lips.

"What suddenly made you wish for a boyfriend?"

Chenle's mouth opened slightly before he closed it again. He couldn't exactly tell them the truth. And Taeyong.... That glint in Taeyong's eyes signified he knew what was going through Chenle's mind. And Chenle had a feeling that Taeyong knew exactly what had prompted the words to slip out of Chenle's mouth. 

He swallowed his mouth suddenly dry.

"I don't know." He replied, trying to sound nonchalant and hoping his tone was convincing enough.

It seemed to have calmed down some of the members. Taeil sighed, turning away from Chenle before his eyes fell on the long, dark orange stain on the table cloth.

"Jaemin," the beta reprimanded, but the younger was still fixated on Chenle. The his eyes widened, as if he had just realized something. And the next moment he was standing up. He pushed his chair back, the legs dragging along the floor, causing a ear splitting screech and walked over to Jisung before draping himself on the younger. He glared at the rest of the members who were watching the two boys questioningly.

"None of you, none of you will corrupt Jisung under my watch. I'm not going to let your bad influence change my baby. Especially," He suddenly straightened up to look pointedly at Mark and Donghyuck, "You both. Stop acting like a sappy couple and calling everyone else around you single in thousand different languages."

Mark frowned. "But we don't even know a thousand different languages."

Jaemin smiled smugly, like he had already won the match. "Exactly."

Taeyong seemed to come to his senses then and banged on the table, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

"Okay, it's getting late now. Everyone get up and put your dishes into the kitchen sink. Some of us have to wake up early tomorrow, so let's all work efficiently and do this quickly, 'kay?"

He smiled once he heard murmurs of consent from all the members.

And just like that the previous conversation was forgotten, everybody standing up and the room filling up with voices.

Now that the spotlight was no longer in him, Chenle looked at Jisung again. The younger was still wrapped in Jaemin's embrace but he was now wearing a smile as he talked to Ten. 

Chenle walked up to them, trying to put on his usual cheeky grin. He opened his mouth about to announce his presence, but before he could do so, Jisung saw him, the smile on his face falling. He looked down, hiding his face under his bangs, the way he did when he felt awkward. But things were never awkward between Chenle and Jisung, so why was he acting like this?

"I'm gonna go keep my plate. " Jisung said, softly, before gently unwrapping Jaemin's arms around him and walking towards the kitchen.

Chenle blinked.

Had he done something wrong?

~***~

Chenle was no genius, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that Jisung was avoiding him.

A week had passed since the dinner, and now the younger always cancelled on their movie nights, always refused to play video games with him, always refused to stargaze from the roof with him and Chenle was getting frustrated. Why couldn't Jisung just tell him what was wrong? He would fix it and then things could go back to normal.

But no, Jisung had to be the quiet, shy kid he was and just avoid Chenle like he was the flu.

However, Chenle realised something. If anyone asked him how close he was to Jisung, he would say that they were best friends. But it was only now that he realised exactly how empty he was without the younger boy. It felt lonely, and he finally realised what the phrase 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' meant. 

Before, Jisung's presence in his life was something he didn't think over too much. Jisung was another person in Chenle's world, someone who had always been there for him. Their friendship was effortless, easy and they were like two pieces of a puzzle that when put together had no jagged edges which were out of place. and now, Chenle couldn't help but feel that he had taken his best friend for granted. Don't get him wrong, he loved all his members and would give them the world if they wanted it. But right now, he realised that maybe he had simply assumed that they would all always be present, would always be there his whole life.

Sometimes people wondered how Chenle and Jisung got along so well. They were different in many ways, Chenle was friendly while Jisung was awkward, Chenle was loud while Jisung was quiet, Chenle was outgoing while Jisung was withdrawn. Some people said that it was a miracle Chenle ended up presenting as an Omega while Jisung presented as an Alpha and that it should have been the opposite.

But Chenle knew that Jisung was an Alpha. Sure he didn't act like one usually, but in those fleeting rare moments, especially when Jisung was dancing, Chenle could see it. He could see the quiet confidence, the slight smirk, the glimmer in his eye, the inner Alpha suddenly awake. But unlike Mark's Alpha, Jisung's Alpha was comforting to Chenle. Although Jisung hadn't become agitated enough to transform into his Alpha status completely yet, Chenle had a feeling that he wouldn't be scared of it, like how he was of Mark's, Jeno's or any other Alpha's Alpha status. He had a feeling that Jisung's Alpha would be quiet, dignified and protective. While Mark's Alpha was offensive, Chenle knew Jisung's Alpha would be defensive. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew.

He was lying on his bed right now, staring at the ceiling, listening to excited shouts which came from outside his bedroom, where Jisung and Jeno were having a fierce battle in 'Mario Kart'.

Jisung was such a liar. Ten minutes before Jeno had asked him whether he wanted to play together, Chenle had asked him whether he wanted to play together. And to that Jisung had replied a sharp, curt 'no', and an explanation which went something along the lines of 'not feeling like it at the moment'.

And suddenly Chenle's eyes filled with tears. Did Jisung hate him? Why was he avoiding him? If the younger boy only told what was bothering him, Chenle would apologize in a heartbeat. 

He didn't realise that his tears had escaped the safety of his eyes and were now travelling down his cheeks until he heard the door burst open and Renjun's loud voice.

Renjun stopped abruptly at the doorway when he noticed the state the younger Omega was in but before he could say a word, Chenle jumped of the bed, grabbed his jacket and pushed past the older, wiping his eyes furiously.

And he walked through the living room, ignoring Renjun's calls and Jisung's and Jeno's confused faces before walking out of the dorm and slamming the door.

He pulled on his jacket, and slipped on the hood, not caring about where his feet took him.

All he knew was he wanted to get away from Jisung and from the rest of the Dreamies. He couldn't go back, not after that. He didn't want to see the concern on their faces or answer their worried questions. He knew that the moment he said that he didn't want to talk about it, they would drop the subject, but it would still be on the forefront of all of their minds. And things wouldn't go back to normal, things couldn't go back to normal unless he told them what he was feeling, but how could he, when he was so confused himself?

He suddenly stopped walking an looked up. He knew where he was, and he knew who he wanted to talk to. So he took two steps forward and knocked on the door of the 127 dorm.

It was Johnny who opened it, but before he could do so much as say 'hi', Chenle was pushing past him and towards the corridor which led to the bedrooms. 

He had a feeling of Déjà Vu as he stormed down the hallway, but this time he wasn't going to Mark's room. He was going to Donghyuck's room.

He knocked on the door, and opened it when he heard a noise of assent.

He slipped inside Donghyuck's room, slowly shutting the door behind him. 

Donghyuck's room was... Well it was his room. The windows were wide open letting the sunlight filter through the light blue curtains and into the room. But the sunlight wasn't harsh, it was welcoming and warm. The walls were layered with posters, the two biggest of Michael Jackson.

The bed wasn't made and Donghyuck was lying on it, one hand holding up his phone as he lazily scrolled through it. He was half wrapped up in his blanket, and something about the whole scene made Chenle want to jump into the bed and curl around his Hyung.

Donghyuck finally looked up and he immediately put his phone down when he saw the tear streaks down Chenle's face.

He sat up and beckoned to the Chenle, and Chenle crossed the room in two wide steps before curling up in Donghyuck's arms and breaking down. The other boy rocked him slowly, muttering sweet nothings into his hair.

He waited for Chenle to calm down, and Chenle was thankful about that. He didn't want to speak right now, but he did want to tell Donghyuck about what happened so he reluctantly sat up and wiped at his tears.

When Chenle was down, he had a list of people he was willing to go to. The person differed depending on which type of situation it was.

The first person was his mom. She was always number one, it didn't matter what situation. But sometimes talking through the phone hardly did anything to make you feel better, so he had crossed that option out.

Next was Jisung, who was crossed out for obvious reasons.

When he wanted to talk about something he didn't totally understand, he would go to Mark or Jeno, the two older boys being both mature and reliable.

When he wanted to cuddle up and fussed over he went to Jaemin, Kun or Taeyong. The moms of the group who knew when something was wrong just by one look at his face.

When he was simply angry he would go to Renjun, who was wise and calm, but sharp enough and steady enough to stand up for himself.

And lastly, when he was sad, he went to Donghyuck. The older boy wasn't nicknamed Full-sun for nothing. Anytime he wanted to smile all he had to do was cuddle up to his hyung and a few minutes later he would be clutching his stomach from laughing to much.

But on top of that, Donghyuck was understanding. He was quiet when he had to be and he was a good listener. He was smart and knew what to say at the right time, he knew what to say to make Chenle feel better. He was good at reading people, and sometimes didn't need to ask to know what he had to do to make Chenle smile.

Which is why Chenle went to him. Because he wanted to be happy, he was so fucking tired of being sad. He was tired of trying to read people and he was tired of trying to fix things between Jisung and him when the other was doing little to nothing to bridge the sudden gap that had befallen between them.

So Chenle let it all go, he poured it all out, and he felt like a cloud, a cloud which was filled to the brim with rain and could finally let go of the storm it had been holding inside itself.

He told Donghyuck about how Jisung had been avoiding him, about how he had tried to fix things with no avail, about how empty, how hollow he felt without his best friend, about the pain which filled him at the thought of his best friend not caring about him anymore.

And Donghyuck listened. He didn't interrupt or say anything while Chenle was talking, and even after he was done he was quiet. It was like he was mulling over his thoughts, tasting each word on his tongue and trying to find the right one to say.

He finally took Chenle's hand and smiled softly at the boy.

Chenle looked at his hyung. Donghyuck was... Beautiful. He was enchanting in a soft, glowing way and Chenle could see exactly why Mark was whipped for him. The way Donghyuck's messy hair fell into his forehead, tucked under the hood of his favourite dark green hoodie, the way his eyes were a soft, warm, honey brown, the way he laughed, there was beauty in all of it. 

And it was warm and comforting.

Donghyuck rubbed his thumb along the back of Chenle's hand before speaking.

"Chenle, this happened after the group dinner, right?"

Chenle nodded frantically, waiting for more.

Donghyuck's smile widened knowingly.

"When you said that you wanted a boyfriend, were you thinking of anyone or anything in particular?"

Chenle paused. That night.... He hadn't been thinking of anyone in particular.

But right now, his mind settled on a tall and rather awkward boy, who was charming in his own quiet way. 

Chenle's eyes widened. 

"N-No." He stuttered out.

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows, unimpressed with Chenle's lie.

"You're not fooling anybody over here, Lele. But," His smile disappeared and the mirth in his eyes was replaced with something soft and understanding. "I won't force you to say anything you don't want to say. You've spilled enough for now."

Chenle bit his lip before relaxing and falling back into Donghyuck's arms. Donghyuck was right, he still had time to think everything over. And somehow everything seemed clearer than before. He still wasn't ready to dive deeper into the possibility of him actually liking Jisung more than a friend yet, but he could ignore that for now.

Donghyuck pressed a soft kiss on Chenle's forehead. "Do you want me to sing?" He asked, his voice no louder than a whisper.

Chenle nodded. Donghyuck closed his eyes before opening his mouth and filling the room with his sweet voice, each word dripping with honey.

"Here comes a wave,

Meant to wash me away,

A tide that is taking me under...."

Chenle couldn't help but smile when he recognised the song. It was just like Donghyuck to sing Chenle's favourite Disney song when he needed cheering up.

"But I won't cry, 

And I won't start to crumble,

Whenever they try,

Try to shut me or cut me down...." 

Chenle sat up and faced Donghyuck, who opened his eyes and grinned mischievously. Taking in a deep breath, he joined Donghyuck for the chorus.

"I won't be silenced,

You can't keep me quiet,

You'll tremble when you try it,

All I know is I won't go speechless...."

And they kept singing, their voices growing louder and louder. They didn't stop once the song ended, moving onto another Disney song, to another and soon, they were having a full fledged Disney concert in Donghyuck's bedroom.

They had moved around the room, dancing about as they sang on top of their lungs, the sombre mood from before forgotten. Chenle now stood on Donghyuck's bed, singing dramatically into his makeshift mic, Donghyuck's favourite orange hairbrush. The other Omega was jumping on the floor, his mic happening to be a role of newspaper.

"I'd rather be SHINY,

Like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck,

Scrub the deck, and make it look SHINY..."

The moment was broken however when the door suddenly burst open, making the two boys freeze, Chenle's mouth still open and Donghyuck caught in the middle of a ballet spin.

"Oh..uh, sorry." Mark said as he noticed the what the two Dreamies had been up to. "I didn't realise you were here as well Chenle."

He smiled warmly before he turned to Donghyuck, who was glaring at Mark pointedly with one eyebrow raised, his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently. Chenle wondered how he managed to look so disapproving, when it he himself who had been attempting the Swan Lake while singing a song sung by an evil turtle.

Mark seemed amused at his boyfriend's fake annoyance. His smile had turned softer the moment he set his eyes on Donghyuck and his eyes filled with fondness, making Chenle want to gag. This couple was way too sappy sometimes. 

"If you want to kick me out," Mark said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he observed his boyfriend. "Just say the word and I'll leave. But I thought we were spending the evening together?"

Donghyuck stopped tapping his foot, his eyes widening in remembrance. He looked at Chenle for a moment before turning back to Mark, his eyes reflecting an unsaid apology. But before he could open his mouth, Chenle interrupted him.

He knew Donghyuck was going to cancel whatever plans he had with Mark for Chenle, and Chenle wasn't going to let that happen. Sure, he had been upset, and he wasn't back to his usual cheery self yet, but Donghyuck had done enough. Chenle needed to fix the rest himself. Also, he was going to feel guilty if he robbed the new couple of the little time they had together. Yes, Donghyuck and Mark lived together, but their schedules were so filled, they hardly had time to spend alone together.

So he spoke up.

"It's fine. I'll leave." 

Donghyuck looked at him carefully. It was obvious that he wanted to spend time with Mark, but he didn't want to leave Chenle when the younger was in such a distraught state of mind.

"Are you sure?" He asked gently.

Chenle nodded sending him a smile to reassure him. Donghyuck smiled back before walking upto to him and wrapping him in a bear hug.

"Thank you." Chenle whispered, snuggling up to Donghyuck for a second, before extracting himself from his Hyung's embrace.

He left the room, smiling at Mark for one last time as he pretended not to notice the questions in the older's eyes.

And it was only when he was walking back to the Dream dorm when he realised.

Maybe relationships did need a bit of effort.

~***~

Jisung hesitated for a second before knocking on the door. 

He closed his eyes, before gathering all the courage he had and bringing his fist down. 

He was standing outside Mark's bedroom, trying to calm his racing heart and breath at a normal pace.

It's going to be alright.

It took only a couple of seconds before the door was flying open, Mark's usual polite smile on his face. His eyes turned questioning when he saw Jisung standing outside his door, but his smile didn't falter, and Jisung was thankful for that. 

Mark opened the door wider, letting Jisung step in. "What happened, Sungie? Why are you here?"

Jisung swallowed nervously. Why was he here? Because he was a coward.

It had been yesterday evening, when Chenle had stormed out of the dorm, tears running down his face. And it had been Jisung's fault, Jisung knew that. Chenle had returned to the dorm a couple of hours later, looking considerably better, thoughtfulness replacing the tears in his eyes. He had avoided Jisung's gaze, and tried assuring the rest of the Dreamies that he was fine, though none of them believed that.

Renjun had rounded on Jisung that night, demanding to know what Jisung had done, because although neither Chenle nor Jisung had said a word about them avoiding each other, it had been pretty obvious. And although Renjun usually acts unbothered most of the time, everyone knew that he cared about all the members from the bottom of his heart.

And yesterday night, Jisung had finally made his decision. See, he had never meant to hurt Chenle, or even avoid him at the beginning.

But it was hard to face Chenle when he was in love with him. It was hard to face Chenle when he knew the older did not love him back in the same way. It was hard to face Chenle when he knew he that his best friend deserved an Alpha who could actually protect him.

He wasn't blind, he knew exactly what had triggered Chenle to spill out the fact that he wanted a boyfriend. He had noticed the way his best friend looked at Mark and Donghyuck. He had seen the longing gaze in the Omega's eyes whenever Mark did anything sweet for Donghyuck.

And Jisung wanted to be Chenle's Alpha. He wanted to make the other feel protected and loved.

But Jisung wasn't Mark. His Alpha wasn't dominating enough to scare away another Alpha with just one glance.

Before, Jisung had hardly cared about his rank in the pack. NCT was a pack, they had to become one if they wanted to work together as a group. And although they hardly ever brought it up they, like any other pack, had their own ranks. The Alphas obviously ranked higher than the Betas and Omegas of the pack, but Jisung was the least dominant Alpha, thus ranking below the rest of the Alphas. Before, he hadn't had a reason to care about his rank, as the youngest he naturally was the least dominating. But that wasn't true was it? Mark had managed to climb the ranks, had managed to dominate almost all the Alphas of the pack although he was one of the youngest Alphas.

And now, his stupid Alpha pride won't let him look at Chenle because of the fact that he wasn't strong enough to protect him. Or maybe he was just scared, scared that Chenle would reject him, avoid him (like that hadn't already happened), or even worse, laugh at him.

Which is why he was here, standing in front of Mark with a pleading look on his face, because he needed to fix things, and the he had figured the best way to fix things was to ask Mark what he thought about their ranks. The ranks which had become the bane of Jisung's life the previous week.

"Uh..." Jisung pulled on his fingers, before walking towards the bedroom door and shutting it. This wasn't a conversation in which he was fine with being overheard.

Mark's smile had slipped off his face, his lips were pressed together and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Jisung knew this face, Mark was worried.

Mark put an arm around Jisung, leading him towards his bed. Once they were both sitting on it, Jisung's hands clasped in Mark's, Mark opened his mouth.

"Jisung? Are you alright?"

Jisung looked into Mark's eyes, knowing that the older wouldn't need words to know the answer to his question.

"Okay," Mark breathed out. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Jisung nodded.

He swallowed, looking down at his hands, which were still being held gently by Mark.

"I-I like Chenle."

When Mark didn't answer, Jisung looked up. The older was smiling gently, but the glimmer in his eyes showed that he wasn't surprised.

"I know that." Mark said. "Is that what's bothering you?"

Jisung pulled his hands away from Mark's and started to fiddle with his fingers again.

"It's part of what's bothering me. And that's okay, I guess. I've come to terms with my feelings a long time ago. But the other part, the other part isn't as easy."

Mark raised his eyebrows curiously.

Jisung closed his eyes, and let the words he had dreaded to say spill from his lips.

"I'm ashamed of my rank in the pack."

Mark's eyes widened, and he froze. Because, an Alpha wanting advice from another Alpha about ranks was very rare in this competitive and proud world. 

Jisung opened his eyes, and the look on Mark's face almost made him smile. Almost.

A second later, Mark was pushing himself away from Jisung. By the way Mark's hands were in the form of fists, Jisung could tell that he wanted to do nothing but pull Jisung into a hug. However, Mark knew that this wasn't the time. They both knew this wasn't the time.

What they were talking about was a sensitive topic. Alphas were proud and Jisung's Alpha had been extremely tense since he had stepped into the room. He had let Jisung show his weakness to another Alpha, but if Mark showed any form of sympathy, this conversation wouldn't end very well.

"Jisung."

Mark's voice was layered with respect, but Jisung knew that under the respect, the softer emotions lay, the ones that his Alpha wouldn't have tolerated. And he couldn't help his eyebrow quirk in awe, because Mark was everything all Alphas wished to be. No wonder he had climbed the ranks so quickly.

"I don't think you have anything to be ashamed of."

Jisung tilted his head slightly, waiting for Mark to continue.

"I really do understand your insecurities. Every Alpha has them, and they just amplify when you find an Omega you wish to protect. They grow bigger and bigger, until you feel like they're a part of you."

Jisung's mouth was dry. Every word Mark said was embedding itself into his mind, he could relate to each of them.

"But, that's the point Jisung. Every Alpha has them."

Jisung frowned as he looked up. Mark's eyes were warm, and a gentle smile was on his face.

"It's a test, Jisung. Because to become the Alpha we want to be, we need to get rid of our insecurities. We need to prove to ourselves that we're worthy of right away our fears, so that we can fight away the fears of our pack. We need to prove to ourselves that we can focus on our good points, strengthen our best characteristics, so that they shadow our weak points. We need to prove it to ourselves first, because only then can we prove it to someone else."

Jisung's mouth fell open. Mark was right.

"Jisung, your rank doesn't matter. Because in this pack, we don't care about our ranks. Hell, Taeyong Hyung leads us, and he is an Omega, his rank below all of ours. But have you ever once felt that he didn't deserve to be our leader?"

Jisung's chest felt lighter as all the pieces fell into place.

"In our pack, the ranks shift to help us understand each other. Just because you're the least dominant Alpha in our pack, it doesn't mean you're a weak Alpha. I'm pretty sure that if any outsider threatens any member of our pack, you wouldn't hesitate to tear them apart. The only reason why your rank isn't higher is because you don't consider the other Alphas in our pack as a threat."

Mark edged closer to Jisung before continuing.

"Jisung, you're one of the most dangerous Alphas I've ever met. Alphas like me, the ones who are offensive, are easier to predict. But Alphas like you, they're underestimated. And the Alpha in you, it's just resting for now. It's not weak, it just hasn't had a reason to wake up yet. However, the moment it senses danger, it'll wake up, and it'll finally show everyone how foolish they were to underestimate you. And I know that moment will come one day."

Mark was looking into his eyes intently, and Jisung saw a tint of red in them. But, he knew that Mark's Alpha wasn't awake because of anger, it was awake because of pride. Mark was proud of Jisung.

And for the first time in days, Jisung felt free, he felt powerful. His Alpha growled in joy, and his insecurities were nothing but a hurdle in the past.

"So," Mark spoke up once again. "What are you gonna do about it, Jisung? Are you going to show me that you're capable of taking care of a pack, or are you gonna wallow in your fears?"

And Jisung felt a smirk grow on his face. He knew his one eyes had specks of red in them now, his Alpha finally confident.

"What do you think, Hyung?" He said, his voice no longer hesitant.

Mark let out a joyful growl before pulling Jisung towards him and wrapping him in a warm hug.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Jisung pulled away, sending a grateful smile to Mark.

"Well, I think I'll be leaving." He said, getting up and dusting of his jeans.

He made his way towards the door, but right before he twisted the door knob, he turned back to face Mark.

"Hyung, can I ask you one last question?"

Mark hummed in agreement.

"What were your insecurities?"

Mark smiled sheepishly, and scratch the back of his neck.

"I was scared that everyone I wanted to protect was scared of my Alpha. Especially Hyuck. I wanted to show him that I could be gentle, that I could take care of him, but how could I protect him from his fears, if I was one?"

Mark's gaze suddenly focused onto Jisung and his smile turned knowing.

"I, unlike you, was to dumb to ask an older Alpha for advice. I was too proud, and my Alpha would never let me tell anyone my fears. So, I had to figure it out on my own. And I managed to do that, although it took quite a lot of time. I had to put together small signs, to look at the bigger picture. And one of these signs was Chenle."

Jisung felt his breath catch, his heart suddenly started to beat at twice it's normal pace.

"Chenle came upto me, and told me he had a confession to make. He told me he was afraid of my Alpha, but he trusted me. And that he knew that all my Alpha wanted to was protect him and the rest of the pack, so he would come to trust it someday in the future. And those words which he said, they started to make me think."

Mark wet his lips, before he continued.

"I owe him a lot, although he doesn't know it. And Jisung, he means a lot to me. I want him to have a relationship with someone who he can trust, who will protect him and who will know when to step down and let him protect himself. Someone who wants to give him their whole world, someone who will not underestimate him because of his rank. Jisung, I trust you. So, go get your man."

Jisung nodded slightly before pulling the door open, walking out of the room and almost knocking Chenle, who had been standing outside the room, down.

Chenle's eyes widened guiltily.

Jisung's confidence seemed to evaporate that very moment. Because Chenle had heard everything, every insecurity he had spilled out.

~***~

They froze, time suddenly slowing down.

Both of their eyes held a slight hint of guilt, both of their eyes also held a slight hint of defiance.

Jisung broke out of the reverie first, shakily averting his gaze to look at his shoes. Chenle, however, kept his eyes on him.

"I like you the way you are, you know."

Jisung immediately stiffened, his eyes coming up to rest on Chenle once again.

"W-What?" He stuttered out, his voice dry. He seemed to have realised it the same moment Chenle did, his tongue quickly slipping out to moisten his lips. 

Chenle sighed, and this time it was he who averted his gaze in favour of looking at his fingers, which were picking on a few loose threads of the cuff of his oversized blue hoodie.

The sudden sound of footsteps made the two turn towards Mark's door. The owner himself walked out of his room, smiling tiredly at the two younger boys.

"You both really have a lot to talk about." 

And with that crude statement Mark walked past them and towards Donghyuck's room.

"You know," Chenle said, once he heard Donghyuck's bedroom door shut. "I never would have guessed you avoided me because of such a stupid reason."

Jisung's eyes widened in alarm, and Chenle could only guess exactly how terrified he was.

"You could just have told me." Chenle continued, "You could have told me about your fears. And you could have heard it firsthand, from me, that I don't give a shit about our ranks. But instead, you went to Mark Hyung."

And then Chenle let his stoic facade melt away to reveal a smile.

"But maybe, maybe I'm glad it turned out this way. Because now I can tell you exactly how much I missed you."

Jisung's mouth opened slightly, hope sparkling in his eyes.

"I wouldn't have realised how much you mean to me if you hadn't started avoiding you. I would have taken our friendship for granted, thinking that our relationship was effortless. But relationships aren't effortless, they can't be. Mark Hyung's and Donghyuck Hyung's relationship isn't effortless, and neither is ours. Both sides of the relationship need to put as much effort as possible to understand the other. To communicate, to trust the other. I finally realised that. And if you hadn't started to avoid me I wouldn't have realised that I," Chenle paused for a breath, gathering up all the courage he possessed in order to finally let the words he had been chewing for so long out.

"I like you, Park Jisung. No, no I love you. And not just as a friend or a brother. I love you more. And I'm willing to try and experience different things with you. If you want to as well of course."

He suddenly couldn't look at his best friend in eye any longer. Seconds, minutes, hours seemed to pass before Jisung finally spoke up again.

"Really?"

Chenle almost scoffed. Yes, he loved Jisung with all his heart and more, but was that seriously all he had to say? Well at least it made Chenle a little less nervous. 

Jisung seemed to have guessed what was going through Chenle's mind because he backtracked a few seconds later.

"Oh, wait, no like.. It just seems to good to be true."

The sincerity of Jisung"s words warmed Chenle's heart.

"So?" The Omega prompted, his heart racing.

"So, yeah. I mean yes. Yes to experiencing new things with you."

Chenle bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to stop himself from squealing. How could Jisung be this cute?

"Mhmm." He hummed in response.

Jisung looked up hesitantly. "Wait, do you want me to do something?"

Chenle raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting for Jisung to get it. He bit his lip, trying to hide the grin that was threatening to break out on his face.

Jisung blinked, and it finally clicked.

"Oh." He blushed before clearing his throat.

"Chenle, will you be my boyfriend?"

Chenle finally stopped fighting the grin, and beamed at Jisung. 

"I almost thought you were gonna forget to ask." He said, before stepping closer to his best-no-boyfriend. It felt ethereal to be able to call Jisung that, and Chenle must have been blind to not have discovered his feelings for Jisung before.

He tilted his head to look at Jisung. They were standing so close to each other, close enough for Chenle to be able to fee Jisung's breath ghosting his own lips. And then he took a leap of faith and finally closed the gap between them.

It was more of a peck than a kiss, but it was enough for the two boys to giggle, embarrassed but delighted at the same time, both covered in a dark pink blush.

The moment was cut shot by a sudden screech. 

"OH MY GOD JENO, MY BABIES HAVE GROWN UP!"

Chenle sighed as he turned to Jaemin who was clinging on to Jeno's arm and wailing loudly in his ear. Jeno winced in mild discomfort, but he didn't make any move to shake Jaemin off. Even Renjun, who was standing beside the two of them had an amused smile on his face.

The disruption was followed immediately by the sound of a door slamming open and Donghyuck and Mark tumbled into the hallway, each of them sporting wide grins.

"You finally made up?" Donghyuck questioned, but by the glint in his eye, Chenle knew he already knew the answer.

"What's happening here? Don't you guys have practice right now?" Taeyong Hyung walked up to the Dreamies, and by the apron he was wearing, Chenle guessed that he had been working in kitchen. He was flanked by Johnny and Yuta, each observing the commotion curiously.

"Oh, nothing much Hyung," Jaemin replied, a dangerous smirk on his face. He was yet to untangle himself from Jeno, but somehow he had managed to pull Renjun into the mix as well, who surprisingly, didn't look like he minded. "And yes, we do have practice. In fact we came to see why Chenle was taking so long to call Jisung and Hyuck for practice when the 127 dorm is literally five minutes away. But our plans took a complete about turn when we walked onto Lele and Sungie smooching~"

This time the immediate uproar caused by Jaemin's words was expected. Taeyong had frozen, Johnny was screeching in English and Yuta was wiggling his eyebrows.

Chenle sighed, this was going to take time.

Behind him, Jisung groaned before letting his head fall onto Chenle's shoulder. Chenle smiled softly before reaching for Jisung's hand and entwining his fingers with Jisiung's.

But he could take it as long as Jisung was by his side.

~***~

**Author's Note:**

> Songs sung by Chenle and Hyuck are:-  
> Speechless from Aladdin, it isn't a exactly a disney song, but I love it so who cares  
> Shiny from Moana
> 
> Kudos and Comments would be appreciated!  
> <3


End file.
